Our lives are busy, but mealtimes are often the perfect opportunity to slow down and savor. Handcrafted dishware—whether made by your own hands or found in a local artist’s studio—brings art and beauty to the table. There is magic in a handmade mug or wheel-thrown plate, each piece unique and perfectly imperfect. Because pottery is both functional and beautiful, it transforms something as essential as eating into a meaningful ritual and artful connection.
In Bend, one place where that connection thrives is Mud Lake Studios and Supplies, a community ceramics space owned by Alicia Renner. Originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Renner moved to Central Oregon in 2008 to snowboard at Mt. Bachelor. “I didn’t even know where Oregon was,” she laughs. But the high desert lifestyle—hiking, swimming alpine lakes, horseback riding—won her over. Add in connection and community, and she decided to stay.
Renner is also a textile artist and creator of Howl Goods, a sustainable apparel and soft goods line made with natural materials. Her first studio was in The Poethouse in downtown Bend. In 2012 she moved over to the Old Iron Works district and had a studio in the back of Cinder Cone Clay Center founded by a close friend. “I had been running the shop side of Cinder Cone since 2017,” she reflects. “Then, in 2019, my friend decided he wanted a change.” Renner took over as the new owner, renaming it Mud Lake Studios and Supplies.
Though not a potter herself, Renner had a vision. She refreshed the space—building shelves, improving systems, and growing membership. Today, the 2,800-square-foot studio includes 15 private studios, shared shelf space, three kilns, a glazing room, and a shop featuring supplies and members’ work.
“I inherited around 15 members when I bought the studio, but today we have 85,” says Renner. “That’s where I cap it, to keep the space welcoming and accessible. There’s a great balance and flow.” Many of those members have been with her from the start, watching the studio grow into a hub of creativity and clay.
“Not being a potter allows me to see things differently,” she explains. “I’m not jaded by thinking things must be a certain way. I can be creative with solutions, listen to members, and let the artists be artists.”
Mud Lake provides structure—tools, materials, and space—while also serving as a marketplace for artists to display and sell their work.
Studio manager Alex Gnefkow, a potter of seven years, helps keep everything running. “I handle daily tasks—loading kilns, mixing glazes, whatever keeps the makers making,” he says. “Hands down, my favorite part is the people. Community is the most important thing an artist can have. It gives an external aspect to an otherwise internal experience.”
For Renner, pottery is more than craft—it’s a grounding, tactile counterbalance to a digital world. “People learn to let go of perfection here,” she says. “They share ideas, build friendships, and stay curious.” That sense of community is perhaps the studio’s most valuable offering for those wanting to explore the art of pottery, or those experienced with clay who just crave a space that offers a human connection and space for creative expression.
From Dirt to Timeless Beauty
The process of making pottery may seem simple, but it’s nothing short of transformative. It begins with clay—earth itself—rich in minerals and fine particles. Shaped by hand and then fired in a kiln at over 1,800 degrees, something magical happens. In fact, Gnefkow explains that there are actually two firings of the clay. “The first kiln firing drives the moisture out of the clay, turning it into ceramics while the second firing gives the ceramic its final finish, making it strong and suitable for food and drink.”
What began as mud becomes something strong, beautiful, and lasting—durable enough to last thousands of years. Archaeologists still unearth pottery from civilizations long gone, each piece a small story of daily life. So, when you sip from a handmade mug or serve from a wheel-thrown plate, you’re not just using a dish—you’re carrying forward one of humanity’s oldest art forms.
Feeding Body and Soul
At its core, pottery holds, serves and presents food—a necessity of life. But while food nourishes the body, the vessel it’s served in can nourish the spirit. Serving a lovingly prepared meal in handcrafted dishware elevates the experience, reminding us that beauty and meaning live in the everyday. “Feeding people is one of the most basic ways to care for each other,” says Renner. “When you pair that with something handmade, it becomes an act of connection and art.”
That spirit is at the heart of an upcoming Mud Lake event: a ticketed chef-and-artist collaboration dinner. Each plate, bowl, and cup will be designed and made by a studio artist, and guests will enjoy a multi-course meal before taking their handcrafted place setting home.
“We’re really excited about this new event in the works, a candlelit community dinner,” says Olivia Neumann, Mud Lake’s Community Outreach Coordinator. “Ceramics and food are so closely tied—we wanted to create an event that celebrates both.”
Chef Eva Berg, also a Mud Lake potter, will design the menu and prepare the food. Guests will gather around a long communal table set with one-of-a-kind place settings. Picture candlelight, soft music, drink pairings, and conversation. Whether hosted indoors or out, the event is meant to feel intimate, immersive, and unforgettable—something Renner hopes becomes a studio tradition.
“It’s a celebration of both culinary and ceramic artistry,” she says. “And it ensures everyone involved is compensated, connected, and recognized.”
For Renner, the event is about more than just food and pottery—it’s about honoring the creativity and effort that goes into making something from scratch, whether that’s a meal or a mug. In a culture of disposable goods and instant gratification, the slow, deliberate work of crafting something with your hands is a radical act of care.
A Community of Artists
One thing each potter agreed on—their art means the world to them, and they’re grateful for the creative space and community they’ve found at Mud Lake Studios.
For longtime potter Drake Bialecki, who runs Pacific Stone Pottery from a corner studio, the energy of the space is inspiring. “Every member has a unique style and approach,” he says. “Our gallery showcases that talent right here in Bend. Mud Lake really is a pottery hub.”
That connection resonates with Neumann, who describes the studio as “creativity, mutual respect, and embodied presence—all layered over the history of the Old Ironworks. You can feel it as soon as you walk in.”
Fellow potter Gnefkow adds that the openness of the space sets it apart: “The public is encouraged to walk through, peek into our process, and see each artist at work. That’s rare, and I think it makes Mud Lake special.”
Renner is continually inspired by the resilience of the potters around her. “They pour hours into one piece, knowing it could still break or melt in the kiln. It’s such a practice of letting go,” she reflects. “There’s a beautiful life lesson in creating pottery that might last forever.”
And when those creations—earth shaped by hand, hardened by fire—find their way to our tables, they carry food, laughter, conversation, and quiet moments. They outlast the meal and can endure beyond generations. Handcrafted ceramics are more than art or utility—they are vessels of memory and meaning, reminders of the beauty found in nourishing ourselves and one another.
Mud Lake Studios & Supplies
• Open seven days a week, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. at 50 SE Scott Street in the Old Ironworks building.
• For details on events, classes, and workshops, sign up for their newsletter and follow them online.
MudLakeStudios.com | @mudlakestudios
"Feeding people is one of the most basic ways to care for each other. When you pair that with something handmade, it becomes an act of connection and art.”
–Alicia Renner, owner of Mud Lake Studios and Supplies